Earlier this week, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell dropped a new rap song titled Shrimp Bayless. In his “diss track” (“diss” as in “disrespect”) Bell highlighted how Skip Bayless, a television personality and columnist, needs to “stop hating” (or disrespecting) him.

"Shrimp Bayless"https://t.co/bAQUAdVI2o pic.twitter.com/Et0AwLksHp

— Le'Veon Bell (@LeVeonBell) January 30, 2017

Bell’s rap went viral, and this morning Skip Bayless responded on his show Undisputed.

“@L_Bell26 is a really, really good RB… but my point from the start is Ezekiel Elliott is the best RB in football.” — @RealSkipBayless pic.twitter.com/vog89n5wF3

— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) January 31, 2017

It wasn’t shocking to find out that Skip Bayless has yet to change his mind. He still says, “Ezekiel Elliott is the best running back in football.”

This brings up a great argument. Who is better: Le’Veon Bell or Ezekiel Elliott?

The Numbers

 

During the 2016 NFL regular season, Bell ran for a total of 1,268 yards on 261 carries.

On the other hand, Elliott ran for a total of 1,631 yards 322 carries.

Yes, I know this doesn’t look promising for my argument, but you have to remember Bell missed the first 3 games of the season due to a suspension.

By looking at a more comparable stat, such as rushing yards per game, they are almost dead even. Bell averaged 105.7 rushing yards per game where Elliott averaged 108.7 rushing yard per game.

However, what Bell has that Elliott doesn’t, is the fact that he is a serious threat receiving out of the backfield. In only 13 games, Bell caught 75 balls for 616 yards, averaging 51.6 receiving yards per game. He finished the season second in receiving yards per game among all running backs, only behind Cardinals starting running back David Johnson.

A more impressive stat of Bell’s is his total yards per game. He led the league with 157 total yards per game. He had a huge impact on the success of the Pittsburgh Steelers this season, and was named the team’s MVP.

For this he is deserving of MVP contention but in no way do I believe he is the NFL MVP.

Offensive Lines

Now let’s talk about the offensive lines the two running backs are behind. It is common sense, when you’re running behind four pro bowl offensive linemen instead of two you’re going to have better production.

Ezekiel Elliott has the better offensive line and there’s no arguing that.

I can’t imagine what Bell would do behind the Cowboys’ o-line. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say he would break multiple records.

Bell is a better pass catcher, run blocker, arguably a better runner, and has more of an impact on his team. His combination of speed, strength, and patience sets him apart from the other backs in the league. For these reasons I believe Le’Veon Bell is better than Ezekiel Elliott.

For all intents and purposes, however, I feel David Johnson is number one overall. Le’Veon Bell is a close two, and sitting at three, is Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott.

Of course this is just an opinion, and can be argued in many different ways, just as Bayless has his own arguments as to why Elliott is the better back.

I'm waiting for Le'Veon's next track in which he explains how he's a better RB than EzekielElliott. You can't, Le'V, bc YOU'RE NOT. Sorry.

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) January 31, 2017

That being said, I encourage you to comment below with your opinion on who is the better back (Bell or Elliott) and who is the best back in the NFL this season.